1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a boot removal assistance device that allows a person to be able to remove a boot unassisted while in a standup position.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Boot wearers know that the only thing more difficult than putting on a pair of comfortable, tight fitting boots, is removing the boots at the end of the day. Boots, especially cowboy boots, also known as riding boots, are designed to snugly fit the wearer's foot without the use of closure devices such as laces, snaps, or cooperating hook and loop material. As a riding boot does not use a closure device, the boot itself provides the fit and securement about the wearer's foot so that the wearer's foot, including the ankle, is tightly fit within the boot. This tight fitting nature of the boot makes donning and doffing a properly sized boot somewhat difficult.
This donning and doffing difficulty is not only due to the tight fitting nature of the boot about the wearer's foot, but also due to the fact that a person's ankle is substantially more narrow relative to the metatarsal region of the foot, so that when the person's relatively wide metatarsal portion of his or her foot is passing through the relatively narrow ankle portion of the boot, through passage of the foot becomes difficult. While most boots have some give to allow the ankle portion to yield some room whenever the metatarsal portion of the foot is passing therethrough, foot passage through the ankle is often a challenge, especially in a newer boot that has yet to be fully broken in.
While both donning and doffing of a boot present a challenge, donning a boot tends to be a bit easier. The wearer grabs the top of the boot, inserts the foot, and uses gravity to assist in shoving the foot into the boot into proper position. Donning a boot tends to be a job for a single person—the wearer.
Doffing on the other hand presents a different problem. Not only does the wearer not have the benefit of gravity to assist him or her in boot doffing, typically the person's foot has swelled somewhat from wearing the boot, so that foot removal from the boot is even more challenging.
Many boot wearers employ a second person to help in the doffing process. The second person grabs the bottom portion of the boot and the wearer and the assistant pull in opposing directions until the foot is released from its boot confines. While effective, this technique is not without its limitations. Sometimes, a second person is simply not available so this boot removal method cannot be employed. Even if a second person is available, many boot wearers' egos do not permit employment of such assistance and such boot wearers will simply struggle to remove the boots themselves.
Of course, such boot doffing problems are not limited to riding boots. Snow ski boots, skates, and other types of boots and shoes also present problems during removal.
Recognizing the problems associated with boot doffing, devices have been proposed that allow a person to be able to remove a boot from his or her foot without the assistance of a second person. Such devices, which come in a variety of architectures, tend to suffer from one or more drawbacks. Many such prior art devices are simply complex in design and construction so as to be relatively expensive to produce so as to reduce the economic attractiveness of such devices. Some prior art devices are unduly complex in operation, so that many potential users, especially casual users, tend to shy away from usage of such devices. Such devices also tend to have relatively high maintenance requirements. Some devices are simply ineffective to use, offering little more assistance than solo removal of the boot by the wearer.
What is needed is a device that allows a person to be able to doff a tight fitting boot or other type of footwear from his or her foot without assistance from a second person, which device addresses the above mentioned limitations found in the art. Specially, such a device must be of relatively simple design and construction so that the device is relatively simple and inexpensive to produce and maintain. Such a device must be simple and straightforward to use so as to be welcoming to most boot wearers including casual boot wearers.